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On Monday, all the way across the USA, 14-year-old Andy Zhang of China got a spot in the U.S. Open at Olympic Club. Paul Casey withdrew, paving the way for Zhang to be what officials believe will be the youngest player in championship history.

Zhang, at about 6-0, 175 pounds, has been part of the IMG Leadbetter Academy in Florida and is based in the Orlando area. Tadd Fujikawa previously was the youngest in the modern era. He was 15 when he qualified for the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

Zhang was the first alternate out of the sectional qualifying last Monday, where he posted scores of 70-72 at Black Diamond in Lecanto, Fla. Born in the People's Republic of China, he moved to the U.S. when he was about 10.

The three teed off at No. 9 at 7 a.m. Hitting third, Zhang hit his first tee shot with a driver far to the right. He sheepishly went to pick up his tee, then looked over to Watson and asked, "Can I hit another?"

Watson and Baddeley immediately said yes.

"They were really nice to me, giving me tips," Zhang said. "It is a pretty challenging course. I've never seen that kind of rough in Florida."

Zhang got another thrill when he met one of his favorite golfers. "I am a huge Tiger fan," he said. "I grew up watching him on TV. This morning I shook his hand, and I said, 'Wow, I just shook Tiger's hand.' "

Zhang was among the hot topics on the course Tuesday, earning comments from many players.

"He's obviously a very quiet guy," Watson said. "It was fun talking to him. It was fun getting to know him. He was nervous, didn't talk much. Maybe I just talk too much. But it was cool. Hearing the story, talking to his caddie and him about how they got in and what all happened for them to get in.

"And then he flew over (Monday). And he signed up to play golf with me this morning. … He's a big boy for 14, and he can hit it good. Obviously at 14 he's got a lot of growing up to do with his game. Obviously he can play. He's in the U.S. Open. It's not like it just luckily happened. He can play to get here."

When asked whether 14 is too young to be in the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods responded, "You have to go out and shoot the numbers and he did. You're not too young if you can go out and do it."

Matt Kuchar noted that when he was 14, he was still trying to break 90.

"I think that's quite amazing. It sure will be fun to watch," Kuchar said. "It will be interesting, a 14-year-old playing a course like this. I think that a course like this takes so much mental strength and interesting to figure out if a 14-year-old one has the mental strength. And also playing out of this rough takes a lot of physical strength. It's quite the test for all of us. But in particular a 14-year-old, this is a demanding championship and I'm certainly excited to see how he does."

He was born in Shandong, China, and started playing tournaments in the United States at age 10, when he won his division in the Junior World championship at Torrey Pines. Zhang took a trip with a friend to the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in the Orlando area shortly after and moved there four years ago without knowing a word of English.

Zhang taught himself the language.

"It was kind of funny because he would go to school and he would say hello and goodbye and that's it," Leadbetter instructor Andrew Park said in a phone interview with the Associated Press. "The following day he would say, 'A, B, C.' Eventually, we couldn't keep him quiet his English was so good."

Zhang was the second alternate when the week began. Brandt Snedeker also withdrew Monday. Casey pulled out because of a recurring shoulder injury.

He'll play with Hiroyuki Fujita of Japan and Mark Wilson of the USA in Rounds 1 and 2, teeing off at 11:21 a.m. ET on Thursday (off No. 1) and 4:36 p.m. (off No. 9) on Friday.

Contributing: Steve DiMeglio; The Associated Press

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